The outgoing head of recruitment had initially been seen as a candidate for technical director, but main target Monchi is probably one of the few football figures in Europe with a reputation equal to that of Mislintat for finding players, and would represent another coup.

Roma are said to be bracing themselves for the departure of the 50-year-old, who only joined from Sevilla in April 2017, signing a four-year contract. It was at the Spanish club that Monchi – full name Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo – enjoyed a close relationship with current Arsenal manager Unai Emery.

A team built on Monchi discoveries like Ivan Rakitic won the Europa League for three successive seasons.